Sunkist Growers Inc.

Ned C Carter

Jerry W Cramer

Dennis E Bilton

Apparatus for printing ink indicia on objects such as fruit and the like, which includes a conveyor to successively deliver the objects to a printing station where the indicia are applied to the respective objects by inked printing dies carried by a printing roller, the objects then being preferably discharged by the conveyor onto an appropriate receiver for collection or for moving them to a further processing station. In order to permit a rapid selection and interchange of inks having different characteristics, a plurality of inking rolls respectively charged with the different inks are carried by a turret assembly which is rotatable to engage a selected inking roll with the printing roller. The inking rolls are arranged to be axially reciprocated relative to the die roll, and are also adjustable to vary the engagement pressure between each of the inking rolls and the die roll.

Apparatus for printing indicia on objects

Apparatus for printing an indicium on objects, fruits and the like with an ink which may or may not be water soluble, but which is preferably of a type which may be readily consumed by humans without damaging effect, the fruit being successively pre-oriented and delivered by a conveyor to a printing station where inked printing dies carried by a printing roller are utilized to apply the indicia, after which the fruit is then discharged from the conveyor in a free-fall trajectory path onto a receiver, an air-brush type nozzle being utilized to jet-spray the indicium with a quick drying sealant coating as the fruit is moved through the trajectory path. The spray nozzle is directed towards a collecting opening having a connection with a suction source. Also, a selector valve is provided to permit disconnection of the coating material supply to the nozzle, and connection of the nozzle to a supply of cleaning solvent.

Growing community of inventors

Chino, CA, United States of America

Ned C Carter